Improvement in steam-plows



'UNITED STATES PATENT. Ori-"Ion JAMES 7. EVANS, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-FLOWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,210, dated March3l, 1ST-l; application filed November 2:2, 1873.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES EVANS, of the city, county, and State of NewYork,'have invented an Improvement in Steam-Flows, of

` which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to steam-plows, the initial feature of which isto reverse the direction of the resistance of the plows, and thusconvert said resistance into a means of assisting the progress of themachine-that is to say, the plows cut the ground in an oppositedirection, to the movement of the inachine-or, in other words, plowbackward, substantially as described in Letters Patent issued to meOctober 5, 1858.

The invention consists in a combination7 with the propelling-engine, ofa separate engine for lifting the plow-frames when the plows are makingtheir back action, and so that the valve of the plow-lifting engine isworked from the propelling-engine, including also devices for holdingthe plows straight, with facility for turning them at the end of thestroke. The arrangement also is such that the pitmen which operate theplows are connected to the front of the latter, thereby giving longerpitmen for a given length of machine and bringing the plows closer tothe main shaft. The invention likewise comprises a tank and frontplatform hung to rock on the main axle, so as to ride over obstacleswithout lifting thewhole machine. The driving and bearing wheels, too,are so short a distance apart that the plows are nearly always parallelwith the 'surface over which the machine is moving,

while the mechanical means employed for lifting the plow-frames consistfor the most part simply of racks and toothed sectors, substantially ashereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of asteam-plow, constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a planor top view of the same; FiO'.

v3, a vertical or transverse section, on a larger scale, through one ofthe plow-frames; Fig. 4, an inverted plan of the machine; and Fig. 5, aplan View, on the same scale as in Fig. 3, of the lower half of one ofthe plow-frames in part, with the one set of plows applied thereto andmeans for guiding them.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The machine represented in t-he drawing has four plows, a a a a',arranged in two gangs or sets side by side, each set, a vor a', beingcarried, respectively, by a slide, B, fitted with three or morereversely-conical rollers, b l), on each side of it, which rollerstravel along the plow-frames, O that are of -a slotted construction, andso that they form V- shaped guides for the rollers to run upon, and aremainly straight, but with upwardly curving or inclined extremities c,the object of which will be hereinafter explained.

The plows a a', or slides B carrying them, are driven simultaneously inreverse directions-that is, forward and backward alter'- nately-bycranks d d and rods e e. These cranks derive their motion from thepropellingengine D through gearing f g, and may be pitched so that theygive a cutting motion of the plows of about six feet while the machinemoves forward two feet, thus making a loss of two feet of the throw ofthe cranks on the plows; or, in other words, plowing only four feetfortheir six feet of cutting stroke.

The propelling-engine D, which, together with the boiler E, is carriedby the main frame F, is only of small size, and moves at a highvelocity, and consequently, in common with its appurtenances, is oflight weight, the necessary power or reduced velocity being given to theangled driving-wheels G G by bevelgears 7l t', screw 7c, and worm-wheell, the lat-- ter being on the main axle or shaft H of the machine.

The propelling-engine D may be of the oscillating kind, and it ispreferred to construct the frame F, on which it-the boiler-and aseparate smaller slide-valve en gine, I, are mounted,

of boiler-iron.

The smaller engine I simply serves to lift and hold the plows in theirrequired positionthat is to say, to alternately lift or raise and lowerthe plow-frames O at the ends of thc plows7 stroke or strokes, and sothat either one set of plows is lifted out of the ground after they havemade their forward or cutting stroke to put them in position for makingtheir back stroke clear of the ground, while the other set of plows islowered to enter the ground prior to commencing or when beginning theircutting stroke, either Set of plows, when entering the ground, beingturned and caused to enter gradually after the LShlOIl 0f shovels by therun of the slides B which Carry them down the curved or inclined ends cof th@ plow-frames, the triplicate arrangement of rollers b b on both oropposite sides of each slide B facilitating. such action, and giving asteady bearing to the slides as they move along the plow-frames C.

To effect the lifting and lowering of the 1plow-frames C the valve ofthe engine I is worked, either directly or indirectly, by thepropelling-engine D-as, for instance, by an eccentric on the secondaryshaft of the propelling-en gine or otherwise-said valve being shifted atthe ends of the plows7 stroke to reverse the action of the engine I, andso that, during each intermittent action of the latter, a correspondingmotion will be communicated, by a rod, m, and crank, fn, to tworeversetoothed sectors, J J, arranged to gear with racks K K, attachedto the plow-frames C C. These racks may not only serve to raise andlower the plow-frames, but also, in common with rods o o, to guide thesaid frames when moving up or down; and it is preferred to construct orprovide them with screws, so that they may be adjusted to vary the depthof the plows7 insertion in the earth, as required. The rods 'e c', bywhich the necessary forward and backward motions are communicated to theslides B, are connected with the latter at their forward ends, or infront of the plows, whereby a longer rod or pitman may be used than ifelsewhere attached, and the plows are brought closer to the main sh aft.There are four wheels in all to the machine, namely, the manyperipherically-angled driving-wheels G G, a front steering-wheel, L, anda bearing or swivel rear wheel, M. These several wheels are situated atsuch a short distance apart in the length of the machine that the plowsare nearly always parallel with the surface over which the wheels aremovin". To accomplish this, the bearing or swivel rear wheel M isarranged in such advance position relatively with the back end of themain frame F as to be in transverse line with or immediately in front,relatively to the motion of the plows, of the back ends of theplow-frames. The steering-wheel L is carried by an independent forwardextension or section, F', of the main frame. This sectional portion ofthe frame constitutes a front platform, and serves, moreover, to carry awatertank, N, from which the boiler is supplied; likewise, if necessary,a compartment for fuel. Such applies weight to the steering-wheel, butbeing an independent extension of the main frame, and only connectedtherewith by hanging it, through arms or rods o" o", ou the main axle H,it is free to rise and fall in passing over obstacles or undulations inthe surface of the ground without lifting the whole machine.

The plows are of a shape to turn the furrow and not lift the earth, andthe machine can, by proper adjustment, be used as a stationary engine.As a steam-plow it is compact, simple of construction, easily handled,and comparatively inexpensive.

What I claim as my invention isl. In a steam-plow, the valve of thesecondary or plow-lifting engine, in combination with the propellin g-cngine and mechanism for connecting the two, whereby the plows are raisedand lowered automatically, substantially as described.

2. The combination, substantially as herein described, of the pitmen c cwith the plows or slides B B, carrying the latter, said pitmen beingconnected with the plow-slides in front of the plows, for the purposesspecified.

3. rIhe slides B B, provided with three or more rollers, b b, on eitherside, in combination with the plows carried by said slides, and theplowframes C C, constructed to form stra-ight guides with rising ends oc, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination of the reversel y-arran ged toothed sectors J J thecrank n, the racks K K, and the plow-frames C C, substantially asspecified.

5. The independent forward section Ff of the main frame, hung to rockonthe main axle H, in combination with the steering-wheel L and tank N,carried by said section, substantially as and for the purposes hereinset forth.

JAMES W. EVANS.

fitnesses THOMAS G. NORTH, H. E. BAILEY.

